Chapter 411 Are You Kidding Me?
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Chapter 411 Are You Kidding Me?
Tessa turned and left Victor’s room, feeling completely drained, like some poor little orphan.
Hopefully, Stella would find her mother soon and clear everything up, so she could finally have some peace in her life.
Victor watched her retreating figure–she didn’t even dare to argue back. Even from behind, he could sense her frustration.
He couldn’t help but let a small smile tug at the corners of his mouth…
Tessa went downstairs and dutifully cleaned up the kitchen.
Just as she was about to head back up, Silas showed up with a large bag in hand.
When he saw her, he greeted her respectfully, “Ma’am.”
Tessa was shocked.
What do you mean, ma’am? That’s not who she was!
She remembered someone else calling her that too.
Tessa instinctively said, “I’m not a ma’am. Don’t call me that.”
That title made it sound like she and Victor had something going on. Which–just to be clear–they absolutely did not.
Silas smiled without responding.
“This is from Victor. He asked me to drop it off. Sorry to trouble you tomorrow morning.”
Compared to Lewis, at least Silas had a bit of emotional intelligence. He didn’t argue or cross any lines.
Tessa glanced at the vegetables. Some of them she didn’t even recognize.
She asked Silas what they were called. As for how to cook them, she’d just have to follow the app tutorials like Victor had told her to.
When Silas saw there were a few things she still couldn’t identify, he looked a little worried. “Are you sure you can handle it?”
Tessa replied, “Yeah, I think I can.”
She’d learned how to make soup from the app. These dishes…. well, they might come out a little rough the first time.
But they’d definitely be edible.
Silas nodded. “Alright then.”
“Oh, and Victor might run a fever tonight. Sorry, but could you keep an eye on him? He’s not allowed to take a bath.”
Every time Victor got injured, he insisted on showering afterward.
None of the staff could stop him.
But now there was a woman in the house–so things were different.
Tessa blinked. “Huh? How am I supposed to do that?”
Come on, she was a girl. Was she seriously supposed to watch a grown man and stop him from taking a shower?
Silas said, “Just keep an eye on him.”
Keep. An. Eye. On. Him?
Was that really something she should be doing?
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1.22
Chapter 411 Are You Kidding Me?
“I’m not his girlfriend.”
If someone was supposed to handle this, shouldn’t it be, you know, his woman?
Silas replied. “But right now, you’re the only one living under the same roof as Victor. So, we’re counting on you.”
With every polite little “sorry to trouble you,” Tessa found herself completely unable to say no.
“If he gets a fever tonight, please give him some medicine. If it doesn’t go down, then help him cool off physically.”
“Physically?”
Tessa’s brain stalled a bit.
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What kind of instructions were these? It sounded more like she was supposed to take care of a child. And it sounded like a lot of work.
Silas clarified, “Wipe down his skin with warm water.”
Was he being serious right now?
“His whole body?”
“Yeah. Just like how Victor wiped you down the other night.”
Silence fell.
Tessa stared at Silas and turned to stone.
Then he left.
She was the only one left standing there, frozen in place. It took her a while to even process what she’d just heard.
What did Silas say just now?
The other night, Victor had taken care of her that way? So that’s how her clothes got removed?
Her already unsettled heart was now in full chaos.
Especially that last line from Silas–that she was supposed to take care of Victor the same way…
Physically cool him down? Wipe his whole body?
Wait, hold on…
Was that supposed to be serious?
Over at Stella’s place, she was gently wiping Abraham’s chest with a warm towel so he wouldn’t feel uncomfortable in the morning.
She had just poured the warm water down the drain in the bathroom when Tessa called.
“Stella, listen, I can’t do this.”
Stella: “Can’t do what?”
“I mean physically cooling down Victor! Everyone around him just bailed and dumped him on me. They told me to check on him in the middle of the night to see if he has a fever–and that kind of care…”
Tessa’s voice rose with agitation.
“Is that really something I should be doing? Am I even qualified for this?”
Did Victor’s people have zero common sense? They actually expected her to wipe down his whole body?
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1.22 M
Chapter 411 Are You Kidding Me?
“It’s just a fever! Does it really have to be this complicated?”
Tessa was going off so hard that Stella couldn’t even get a word in.
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Before she could respond, Tessa went on, “And get this–it turns out the other night, Victor stripped me because of this!”
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Chapter 412 Five Steps to Death
Chapter 412 Five Steps to Death
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“Do I need him fussing over me like this? What, does Falvaria not have hospitals? And now I’m supposed to take care of him too? Who even says stuff like that?”
Tessa completely lost it.
She stormed back and forth across the living room, ranting non–stop.
Uh…
Well.
Stella had no idea what had actually happened over there.
But judging from Tessa’s reaction right now, things might be a little out of control with her being around Victor.
Clearing her throat, Stella offered, “If Victor’s hurt, there’s a chance he might run a fever tonight. You should give him some meds first. If that doesn’t work-”
“What’s even worse,” Tessa cut in before Stella could finish, “is this–he broke now or something?”
Stella replied, “No, he’s not.”
“Then why can’t he hire a housekeeper? If he’s got money, he could afford ten of them, not just one!”
Stella sighed. “He can afford it.”
“Then why won’t he?”
Tessa was genuinely baffled. He’d even fired the cook–what now, planning to turn her into his free maid?
Whatever. Those were minor things.
But what happened tonight?
Had gone way too far.
So what–just because he looked after her the other night, now she’s supposed to return the favor?
Stella explained, “Because the young and pretty ones try to seduce him.”
Apparently, that’s how the last batch of maids got let go.
Tessa snapped, “Then hire old ones. Ugly ones.”
“Those might be assassins!”
Which… also happened before.
Tessa fell silent.
What the-
Stella added, “Victor’s had a few incidents like that in the past. He got tired of it, so now he does everything himself.”
That’s why all his villas only had hourly workers coming in occasionally.
He didn’t want to deal with people who had hidden agendas.
Tessa asked, “So tonight, it’s gotta be me taking care of him, is that it?”
Stella nodded. “Yeah. Unless something unexpected happens, you’ll probably need to.”
Something unexpected. God, she was really starting to hate that phrase.
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Chapter 412 Five Steps to Death
“Then can’t you send someone over?”
She was on the verge of a breakdown.
Stella was the Luke family’s little princess–sending someone should be a snap for her.
But Stella hesitated. “That… might not work.”
What now?
The way she said it, like even sending a maid was some kind of moral dilemma. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Stella explained, “Even if I send someone, Victor has to agree to it.”
“What about your brother? Can he send someone?”
“Same deal. Victor has to give the green light.”
So even Mr. Abraham didn’t have unlimited power in Falvaria? He actually needed someone’s permission?
Tessa’s face just fell.
Stella added, “The thing is… Victor’s a master of security systems.”
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“From the moment you walk into his villa, there are traps everywhere. If you’re not someone he trusts, or if he hasn’t given you access, you could be taken down within five steps.”
Translation: anyone stepping into Victor’s territory without permission was playing with fire.
Literal, possibly fatal, fire.
He was basically a walking hazard zone.
Tessa sucked in a sharp breath. “Taken down in five steps?”
Stella nodded. “You walk in standing up, and end up a pile of ashes in the ground. For innocent people, that’s pretty brutal.”
Ashes. In the ground…
Yeah, that was more than a little dangerous.
And never mind whether Victor would approve someone coming over–if people knew they were heading into his turf, they probably wouldn’t even want to go.
Who’d dare? One wrong move and they’re toast.
Absolutely brutal.
After hearing all this, Tessa instinctively glanced around the villa.
“So the whole place is booby–trapped too?”
Stella replied, “Unless something unexpected happened, yeah.”
Great.
Meaning she was living in a house where her life was constantly on the line.
Stella warned, “So don’t go touching stuff in there. You might set off something.”
And it wouldn’t just be a joke. It could be fatal.
Tessa’s heart skipped a beat.
Good thing she wasn’t the type to poke around in other people’s houses. Otherwise, she might’ve already triggered something deadly.
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Chapter 412 Five Steps to Death
“So before you send anyone over, I need to get his permission first?”
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Chapter 413 Unexpected Exposure
Chapter 413 Unexpected Exposure
“Yes,” Stella confirmed.
Tessa’s face instantly fell.
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Based on her observations over the past couple of days, Victor was really… kind of extreme when it came to employing people.
The cook had only lasted a day before being fired. In short, the man was impossible to please.
“So what am I supposed to do?”
“Go talk to him!”
Talk to him…
“He’s definitely not going to agree, right?”
There wasn’t a single soul in this place. It was clear Victor preferred to be alone.
And yet he’d still taken her in under these circumstances–she really did owe him a lot.
Stella said, “If he says no, then no one can just show up out of nowhere.”
So she’d have to go put in effort just to get his approval?
Before Tessa could say anything else, Stella cut her off, “Ah, I can’t talk anymore. Gotta go.”
Tessa faintly heard a man’s voice on the other end right before Stella hung up.
The dial tone echoed in her ear as she stood there, stunned.
She didn’t want to take care of Victor.
Maybe she could talk him into letting Stella send someone over. She really wasn’t cut out for this.
It wasn’t like she was some uptight prude about men and women being alone.
But to be honest, she barely even knew Victor.
…
Dragging her feet, she climbed the stairs.
Shuffling her way to Victor’s room, she knocked on the door.
Her pace alone made it obvious just how reluctant she was.
No response.
She knocked again…
Still nothing.
What if he already had a fever and passed out? That fast?
Starting to panic, Tessa threw caution to the wind and pushed the door open.
The moment it swung wide-
Victor stepped out of the bathroom, a white towel wrapped low around his waist.
Water still dripped from his muscular chest.
Fresh out of the shower, glistening-
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Chapter 413 Unexpected Exposure
Tessa barely managed to swallow before her mind went completely blank, blood rushing through her veins uncontrollably.
Victor caught sight of her–and the tiny trickle of blood under her nose.
His eyes narrowed.
A chill radiated from him as he spat out three cold words: “What are you looking at?”
His voice was icily sharp.
Tessa snapped back to herself in an instant and stammered, “N–Nothing! I knocked, and you didn’t answer.”
“So you just barged in?”
“I… I didn’t…”
Her brain completely froze.
She quickly looked away from Victor. This man–he was built like a sculpture of pure power.
Even someone like Tessa, who’d never been into that kind of thing, was burning up.
Pathetic…
She’d seen all kinds of pretty boys back in Rivermount. Get a grip, Tessa. Have some dignity.
She scolded herself internally, not realizing Victor had already approached.
The moment his warm fingertip brushed the corner of her mouth, Tessa flinched and instinctively stepped back. “You–what are you doing?”
He raised his red–stained fingertip in front of her eyes, still tinged with the scent of blood. “What’s this?”
Her already scrambled brain exploded at the sight of the blood on his finger.
She instinctively wiped under her nose–only to smear blood across the back of her hand.
She was completely dumbfounded.
Seriously? She was that hopeless? Staring at a hot guy so hard she got a nosebleed?
“I–I mean, I have chronic nosebleeds?”
The uncertain tone made it unclear whether she was trying to explain or convince herself.
Victor asked calmly, “So this happens every time you see a man?”
“Uh, yes!”
Tessa nodded frantically.
Then realized what he’d actually said–and immediately shook her head. “Wait, no, that’s not it!“.
What kind of nonsense was that?
She wasn’t some ridiculous pervert who got nosebleeds just from seeing a good–looking guy….
Whether she admitted it or not, that was exactly what just happened. “It was an accident. Just a fluke today.”
She scrambled to clarify–not lie, just explain.
Victor’s lips quirked into a smile. “Get me a glass of water.”
“Oh–okay!”
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Chapter 413 Unexpected Exposure
The second he gave her a task, Tessa acted like she’d been granted a royal pardon and spun around to leave.
But just as she turned-
She felt a sudden tug at her hem.
Before she could even react, the towel wrapped around Victor’s waist dropped to the floor right in front of her…
She turned her head instinctively.
Her pupils shrank on impact.
Her mind went blank again, like a gong had gone off inside her skull–clang.
Chapter 413 Unexpected Exposure
Chapter 413 Unexpected Exposure
“Yes,” Stella confirmed.
Tessa’s face instantly fell.
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Based on her observations over the past couple of days, Victor was really… kind of extreme when it came to employing people.
The cook had only lasted a day before being fired. In short, the man was impossible to please.
“So what am I supposed to do?”
“Go talk to him!”
Talk to him…
“He’s definitely not going to agree, right?”
There wasn’t a single soul in this place. It was clear Victor preferred to be alone.
And yet he’d still taken her in under these circumstances–she really did owe him a lot.
Stella said, “If he says no, then no one can just show up out of nowhere.”
So she’d have to go put in effort just to get his approval?
Before Tessa could say anything else, Stella cut her off, “Ah, I can’t talk anymore. Gotta go.”
Tessa faintly heard a man’s voice on the other end right before Stella hung up.
The dial tone echoed in her ear as she stood there, stunned.
She didn’t want to take care of Victor.
Maybe she could talk him into letting Stella send someone over. She really wasn’t cut out for this.
It wasn’t like she was some uptight prude about men and women being alone.
But to be honest, she barely even knew Victor.
…
Dragging her feet, she climbed the stairs.
Shuffling her way to Victor’s room, she knocked on the door.
Her pace alone made it obvious just how reluctant she was.
No response.
She knocked again…
Still nothing.
What if he already had a fever and passed out? That fast?
Starting to panic, Tessa threw caution to the wind and pushed the door open.
The moment it swung wide-
Victor stepped out of the bathroom, a white towel wrapped low around his waist.
Water still dripped from his muscular chest.
Fresh out of the shower, glistening-
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+5 Free Coins
Chapter 413 Unexpected Exposure
Tessa barely managed to swallow before her mind went completely blank, blood rushing through her veins uncontrollably.
Victor caught sight of her–and the tiny trickle of blood under her nose.
His eyes narrowed.
A chill radiated from him as he spat out three cold words: “What are you looking at?”
His voice was icily sharp.
Tessa snapped back to herself in an instant and stammered, “N–Nothing! I knocked, and you didn’t answer.”
“So you just barged in?”
“I… I didn’t…”
Her brain completely froze.
She quickly looked away from Victor. This man–he was built like a sculpture of pure power.
Even someone like Tessa, who’d never been into that kind of thing, was burning up.
Pathetic…
She’d seen all kinds of pretty boys back in Rivermount. Get a grip, Tessa. Have some dignity.
She scolded herself internally, not realizing Victor had already approached.
The moment his warm fingertip brushed the corner of her mouth, Tessa flinched and instinctively stepped back. “You–what are you doing?”
He raised his red–stained fingertip in front of her eyes, still tinged with the scent of blood. “What’s this?”
Her already scrambled brain exploded at the sight of the blood on his finger.
She instinctively wiped under her nose–only to smear blood across the back of her hand.
She was completely dumbfounded.
Seriously? She was that hopeless? Staring at a hot guy so hard she got a nosebleed?
“I–I mean, I have chronic nosebleeds?”
The uncertain tone made it unclear whether she was trying to explain or convince herself.
Victor asked calmly, “So this happens every time you see a man?”
“Uh, yes!”
Tessa nodded frantically.
Then realized what he’d actually said–and immediately shook her head. “Wait, no, that’s not it!“.
What kind of nonsense was that?
She wasn’t some ridiculous pervert who got nosebleeds just from seeing a good–looking guy….
Whether she admitted it or not, that was exactly what just happened. “It was an accident. Just a fluke today.”
She scrambled to clarify–not lie, just explain.
Victor’s lips quirked into a smile. “Get me a glass of water.”
“Oh–okay!”
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Chapter 413 Unexpected Exposure
The second he gave her a task, Tessa acted like she’d been granted a royal pardon and spun around to leave.
But just as she turned-
She felt a sudden tug at her hem.
Before she could even react, the towel wrapped around Victor’s waist dropped to the floor right in front of her…
She turned her head instinctively.
Her pupils shrank on impact.
Her mind went blank again, like a gong had gone off inside her skull–clang.
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Chapter 415 Apologies and Aftershocks
And then this had to happen tonight.
Victor looked down at her, standing there like a little quail.
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He couldn’t see her face, only the top of her head, and the way she stood there–so timid and apologetic–was oddly obedient.
The corners of his mouth curved faintly. “What are you sorry for?”
Tessa blurted out, “For stripping off your towel.”
Silence crashed down around them.
Tessa’s brain froze again.
Oh no–Stella had specifically told her not to mention that. Just admit you were wrong and leave it at that!
The pressure in Victor’s presence made it impossible to ignore him. “I- I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Oh?” Victor’s voice was icy. “Then what did you mean?”
“I didn’t do it on purpose.”
She really hadn’t.
Victor’s footsteps thudded against the floor as he walked down, each step pounding against her chest.
He stopped right in front of her and lifted her chin with his long, defined fingers.
Tessa’s insides were trembling.
“M–Mr. Victor, here’s your water.”
She nervously offered the now half–full glass.
But her mind was still replaying the earlier scene in vivid detail.
Right now, she wanted nothing more than to dig a hole and bury herself in it. How stupid could she possibly be?
Turning around and accidentally yanking someone’s towel off?
Seriously?
She held the glass out.
Victor didn’t take it.
Instead, his grip on her chin tightened slightly. “What did you see just now?”
Everything-
“I saw, uh-”
Wait. She couldn’t say that. Definitely not.
She immediately shook her head. “I didn’t see anything.”
Not good enough.
His sharp gaze pierced her like a blade, and Tessa quickly added, “Nothing at all.”
But she had seen something.
And honestly, how could anyone say he was not functional? That didn’t look like someone who had issues in that department.
If he really had a problem, then what a waste of—
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Chapter 413 Apologies and Aftershocks
It wasn’t until she heard the door close upstairs that Tessa finally let out a breath and patted her chest.
Oh my god…
Living under the same roof as someone like Victor–normal people’s hearts couldn’t handle that kind of stress.
Just as she turned to sneak back upstairs to the room she was staying in, the landline downstairs started ringing.
With no other choice, she went back and picked up the phone.
“Tessa, it’s Silas.”
For the last time, I’m not his girlfriend.
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Why did they all keep calling her ma’am? Seriously!
Silas continued, “Please help take care of my brother tonight. And whatever you do, don’t let him take a shower.”
“What?!”
Silas shouted so loud it nearly blew out her eardrum.
Tessa tried again: “How about you come over? I’m really not cut out for that kind of care.”
Too much trouble?
“This is beyond trouble,”
Judging by what Silas had said, Victor was going to have a fever tonight.
But there was no way Tessa could take care of him like that. What even was she supposed to do?
She hadn’t even gotten the chance to tell Stella to send someone. She had no choice now but to redial the number from earlier.
Tessa grumbled, “What? She’s not picking up now?”
But what about someone from his side? That should be fine, right? Surely he wouldn’t refuse that.
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She tried Silas again. Twice more. Still no answer.
What the hell?
Looks like she was stuck with this tonight, no matter what.
With no other choice, Tessa trudged upstairs again to ask Victor if he’d let Tessa–or someone else from his own people-
come over.
This man was such a pain. She’d never met anyone this impossible to deal with.
Seriously?
Her voice was so anxious it practically squeaked.
Because of the lighting, Victor could clearly see the flutter of her long lashes even from that distance.
She was so small, her face barely the size of a palm, filled with unease and uncertainty.
His lips curved faintly. “What else did he say?”
“And… and that if you do get a fever, meds probably won’t work. You’d need physical cooling.”
Silas had repeated that warning several times.
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1.23 PM
His mind flashed back to the night before last…
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Back then, even John couldn’t send a reliable housekeeper, and Victor hadn’t wanted to alarm Madam either.
He gave Tessa another long look.
Meanwhile, back in Rivermount, the Reed family was unraveling fast after Susan’s arrest.
In what felt like a single night, the entire family collapsed.
She sat bundled up in her wheelchair, but the Rivermount winter was biting cold.
That was her reality now. When the Reed family was at its peak, she was in the palm of Ethan’s hand. Who would have dared treat her like this?
If she could just recover–she’d make them all pay.
Her lips curved into a mocking smile. “That mask of yours really is something else.”
She lowered her head and forced a polite, subdued greeting. “Madam Madeline.”
Madeline let out a cold laugh. “Here to see Ethan?”
“Yes.”
“Leave. He won’t be seeing you again.”
If there was one thing that had pleased Madeline lately, it was Ethan finally cutting Lilian off.
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Sick, weak, hunched in a wheelchair–if Ethan had insisted on marrying her, Madeline might’ve dropped dead from rage.
“Lilian,” Madeline cut in sharply, “a woman should carry her own grace. I’m not in the mood to humiliate you tonight, so don’t push me.”
Lilian had once dreamed of walking through it with her head held high. She truly believed Ethan’s persistence would get her there one day.
Lilian shook her head in desperation. “No, don’t touch me–don’t you dare touch me!”
Her attendant tried to intervene, but the guard shoved her to the ground without hesitation.
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“Ms. Lilian,” the guard sneered, “let me remind you–the Reed family no longer exists. You’re not their precious daughter anymore.”
Humiliation–sharp, bitter, and suffocating–coiled tightly around her chest.
No one had ever treated her like this before. How had it come to this?
Stella.
This was all because of her.
Never.
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